


Only Fools Rush In

by justbygrace



Series: Post GitF [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Canon verse, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10060865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: Post GitF. Canon Verse.A long ago prompt fic for Larxy.Warning for being generally angsty, slightly dark Doctor, & references to post GitF.





	

If there was anything Rose had learned while traveling with the Doctor it was that when he stepped out of the TARDIS doors and promptly said "uh-oh" the likelihood of imprisonment went up about 150% and if he stepped out and promptly stepped back inside to warn her, the chances of being sentenced to death were nearly astronomical. On this particular day, he did both and she sighed deeply, all she wanted was a nice, relaxing day after the last couple of adventures, but no, it apparently looked like running for her life was in store for the afternoon.

"This is Htrae," the Doctor began, glancing between her and the now closed TARDIS doors.

"Bless you," she said absently.

"Rose, I'm serious." He gave her a slightly annoyed look and she rolled her eyes and motioned for him to proceed. "Things are...well, a bit different here. Normal things are a bit backwards, so to speak. What is up is down, what is left is right. Altogether very confusing."

"So, nothing unusual then." She had no idea why she was being so difficult. Maybe it was the combination of French fireplaces and school reunions and parallel universes churning through her gut. 

The Doctor sighed, a heartfelt thing that she was pretty sure originated somewhere in his toes. "Fine. You want to go out and explore without my warnings, go for it." He stepped back and bowed theatrically. 

Shaking her head, Rose brushed past him and shoved open the TARDIS doors, offering a silent apology to the ship in her mind. She may not always like the designated driver, but she did like his ship; she was always there for her, ready to listen or offer her favorite pajamas or a locked door between her and the Doctor. Yeah, Rose and the TARDIS got along just fine. 

Stepping outside, Rose was immediately struck by the bright colors and loud shouting going on around her. She blinked several times, trying to take in everything at once. There were large posters advertising everything from slushies to tattoos, barkers yelling about their various wares, stalls set up everywhere she looked, and an overabundance of creatures...just about every race Rose had run into on her travels was represented. 

She glanced behind her to see the Doctor still standing inside the TARDIS, half hidden in shadows. Sighing, Rose spun back around and started off aimlessly. If he was going to be an insufferable git, he was going to do it without her company; she needed some time to breathe on her own. It took several moments of power walking before Rose felt her heartbeat begin to slow, allowing her to take in more of the sights around her. Thanks to the TARDIS, she could generally make out most of the conversations taking place and could read any of the signs that she so desired. It had been several hours since breakfast and she thought food sounded like a lovely idea so she began to keep a lookout for some place that sold anything that looked edible.

It didn't take very many moments when she came across a stall that advertised tea and toast and she stepped into the queue, fishing an unlimited credit stick out of her pocket. The Doctor had assured her that they were pretty universal and they hadn't failed her yet.

When she reached the front of the line the attendant gave her an irritated look and Rose took an automatic step backwards. "Um, sorry to bother you. Just want some tea and toast, please. Regular size is fine." She offered a tentative smile and watched in surprise as the attendant took a step back.

"What's your problem? No need to be irritated," the human-looking creature said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm...not mad." Rose gave him a perplexed look. 

"Sure look like it." He shrugged and accepted the credit stick.

After that strange exchange, Rose waited impatiently for her food, looking around a little more keenly. There was something strange about people's interactions with one another, but it wasn't something she could put her finger on. When her food came out, neatly done up in brown paper, Rose accepted it with a hearty smile and was surprised by another irritated expression. 

Shaking her head, she made her way over to a nearby table and sat down, hungrily pulling out her food only to discover that instead of tea and toast the contents of the bag appeared to be some sort of coffee and a tortilla. She stared at it with a baffled expression before shrugging it off as a simple miscommunication and chowed down. 

Once her meal was done, Rose set out to explore the rest of the area. One of the things that she quickly noticed about the conversations she could hear was that it sounded as if everyone was shouting at one another angrily. She experimented a bit, trying out a smile on a few people she passed and getting a surprised look each and every time. Maybe that's what the Doctor had meant, this was a planet where appearing angry was the norm. Very well, she could easily tap into her irritation and fit right in. She set her face into a scowl and meandered onwards. 

Presently, she came across a booth selling scarves and she stopped to browse. They were so light and filmy, she couldn't help fingering them wistfully. She didn't often have an opportunity to wear something like this, something purely for style and beauty. Her wardrobe over the last year and a half had gradually morphed into sturdy running shoes and practical shirts, jumpers, and trousers. She thought wryly that probably explained some things about the Doctor's recent behavior, because she couldn't remember the last time she had dressed up in something so gratuitously pretty. It must have showed in her expression because an attendant came over wringing her hands.

"Ugly scarves, aren't they?" the lady asked with an appropriately disgruntled expression.

Rose glanced at the scarves in slight surprise before she remembered about the general irritation on this planet and nodded. "Suppose they are."

"You say one thing with your head and another with your lips," she said curiously. "Why do you not say what you mean?"

Rose let out a heartfelt sigh. "They are truly hideous."

"Much better. And did you want to buy one?"

Rose looked at the lady helplessly, unsure if agreeing to buy one would result in the lady thinking she didn't want one. Soundlessly she held out the credit stick and shook her head. The lady gave her a truly grotesque frown and Rose had to bite her lip to keep from laughing hysterically. 

"What colors did you hate the most?"

"The red one and the green." At least this was pretty straightforward. Or, it was until the lady picked up the blue and the yellow and wrapped them neatly. 

Feeling like she was about to scream with frustration, Rose picked up the ones she wanted and held them out. "I hated these too." Saying the words out loud didn't make it any less odd and Rose wasn't sure how much more interaction she was going to be able to handle on this planet, especially given her current state of mind.

At last she had the package of scarves clutched tightly in her hand and with a last frown at the saleslady, Rose set off once more. Her head was starting to hurt from the raised voices and all she wanted was to go back to the safety of her room on the TARDIS. However, she wasn't entirely sure that she was ready to deal with the Doctor quite yet and so she kept on her way, her scowl becoming less forced with each passing step. At length she spotted a bench in the shade of some low hanging tree and she headed for it gratefully. It was a little off the beaten path and would be a good way to get some clarity before she had to deal with any more confusing conversations.

She had just started to breathe a little easier when an oversized creature with a long blue (or was it red?) tail and pointy spikes sticking out at odd angles from his head came over to her with the swagger that is indicative of law enforcement officials the galaxy over. She watched him approach with a resigned expression. It was inevasible that this day was going to end with her breaking a law that she was unaware of and at the moment she wasn't entirely sure she cared.

"Excuse me mister, this bench is clearly for public sitting on," the guard said in a professional tone.

"I can't even begin to figure out what you're trying to say to me." Rose slouched down in the bench and stared up at him with a belligerent expression she hadn't tapped into since she was fifteen and caught smuggling alcohol into school. 

"You are sounding very polite, I'd be comfortable if I were you," he fixed her with a look she supposed was meant to be a warning, but looked more like he was rather constipated.

Pushing her wrists together and extending them upwards, Rose gave him an exaggerated smile. "Just arrest me now. I'm so not in the mood to play your little opposite games."

He shook his head and pulled out a pair of bright yellow handcuffs, slipping them easily around her wrists. "Go on then," He purred, leading them down the walkway. 

Rose made a point of smiling at everyone she passed, suddenly extremely tired of dealing with everything. All she had wanted out of the day was a quiet day on a quiet beach far away from meddling aliens and the Doctor had brought her here. Wasn't it just like him to do the exact opposite of what she wanted? She let out an unamused chuckle at the thought; the Doctor would fit right in on this planet.

She was hustled through a series of increasingly confusing paperwork that she made no attempt to decipher the meaning of and then thrown into a small cell complete with wooden bench and a bucket in the corner. Sinking onto the bench, Rose glanced around with a slight smile, at least this part was familiar. She wondered how long she was to be imprisoned for, she had long since given up listening to the guards bewildering words.

Flopping onto her back, she closed her eyes and attempted to slip into a meditative state. Unfortunately she had never really been cut out for meditation and it wasn't long before her mind was racing. It had been less than thirty-six hours since the parallel universe. Yes, the Doctor had taken her to see her mum, but after a few hours he had started getting antsy, taking frequent trips back into the TARDIS to poke at things. She had been, well, not strictly worried just...concerned that he would suddenly take off and so she had agreed to leave her mum's before she really wanted to. In some logical part of her brain that was half buried in layers of betrayal, Rose knew that the Doctor was unlikely to just up and leave her, but their last three adventures had not really bolstered that logic with any sort of confidence. 

Her musings was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open and she sat up, wondering if perhaps sentences here were considerably shorter than elsewhere only to see the Doctor unceremoniously shoved through and the door close with a bang behind him. 

"Hullo!" The Doctor waved one hand cheerily. When Rose's expression didn't change from one of wary indifference, his face fell and he slumped to the floor beside the door, staring at his chucks.

The two remained where they were for several long moments and Rose felt each second reverberate through her brain; she suddenly knew what the Doctor had meant oh so long ago when he had talked about the turn of the earth. At length the Doctor sighed and glanced up at her. She met his gaze unflinchingly, whatever he had to say, she wasn't going to show him fear.

"Rose..." he started and then trailed off, a myriad of emotions she couldn't even begin to understand flitting rapidly across his face. "Rose, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring you here."

"It's opposite day, haven't you heard?" she asked bitterly.

He sighed again, rubbing a hand down his face wearily. "Okay, yes, this planet was on the back burner to take you too eventually. It was supposed to be funny."

"Yeah, it was bloody hilarious." Rose drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She wasn't entirely sure why she was being so hard on him, on any other day this planet would have been a lark...trying to parse out the meanings and laughing together when they got it wrong. But maybe that was it. Together. Nothing that had happened recently had been together and this day had been no different.

"I wouldn't have brought you here today on purpose," he protested.

"Tell me another one," she said mockingly, hating herself a little more with each acid word dripping from her tongue.

"What do you want from me?" It should have been yelled; he should have been up and pacing, tearing at his hair in frustration, but he wasn't. He was whispering, muttering into his shoes, looking like the entire world had just ended and it was his fault, an expression she hadn't seen on his face during this regeneration.

"I want you to be honest with me for once, Doctor. I want you to talk to me, tell me what you want from me!" She was shouting because she didn't know what else to say, how else to deal with the conflicting emotions flooding her heart.

"I don't have anything to say..."

"Bullshit!" She spat out. "You talk more than anyone else I've ever meant. So bloody say something, why don't you?!"

"You want me to speak?" He looked up and there was a glint to his eyes that practically screamed danger. "I will speak, Rose Tyler. Do you want me to tell you how much I hated Mickey? How much I wanted to be with Reinette because it would have been easier? How I was tempted to bring along Sarah Jane to remind me of a time before I let my heart get involved? Is that what you want to hear? How I was glad when your father left you behind?" He was up and pacing, seemingly unaware that she was even still there. "Because it's true. You make me feel things I haven't felt in years, want things I haven't wanted in eons. And I hate it. I hate that I want you, that I would break the laws of Time for you, that I was ready to tear down the walls of the universe if you had stayed in the parallel one. Is that good enough for you?" He rounded on her almost angrily.

Rose had doubled over further into herself during his tirade, tears freely falling down her face. She wasn't surprised at his words, had fully expected that's what he had been thinking, but hearing it still hurt. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm sorry. I can go..."

He had crossed the room and dragged her into his arms before the last words left her lips, cradling her to him with an odd mixture of anger and gentleness. "Don't say that!" he exclaimed, "don't even think it! You won't leave. I won't let you."

"But you said...you said you were sorry you met me," she choked out, chewing her bottom lip ferociously.

"No!" He practically yelled. "No, I did not! I would never...don't ever...Rose," he broke off, voice shaking. "I would never be sorry for that. You are everything to me. Everything, you hear me?" His arms tightened around her waist, dragging her even closer to him so that her face was smashed awkwardly into his shoulder. "I couldn't live if you left me. That's why I dragged you away from your mum's, that's why I did everything I've done since I've regenerated. Because I...I was afraid ou would want to leave. And I don't think I could survive that anymore."

Twisting her head so she could see him, Rose pressed her lips to his, kissing him with every ounce of passion and frustration the last weeks and months had brought. He responded gingerly at first and then more eagerly. It was messy, all teeth and tongue and noses clashing, but it was perfect at the same time and she didn't think she would trade this first real kiss between them for anything different. 

When the need to breathe became too much, Rose pulled back, loving the tiny noise of disappointment the Doctor made. 

"What was that for?" He asked and then hastily added, "Not that I'm complaining at all."

She smiled gently at him, as much as he could be an insufferable git and a mighty Time Lord, he was still her Doctor. "You were rambling. I wanted to. Good enough?"

"Yeah, but..." He quirked an eyebrow at her, obviously still confused at her explanation but unsure how to push her for more information.

She bit her bottom lip, wincing slightly at the coppery taste of blood. "I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to. I'm sorry if I made you think that."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rose Tyler. I do. I'm an arse." He looked away guiltily and made to loosen his grip on her.

She smirked a little, refusing to relinquish her hold. "Yeah, but you're my arse, so there's that."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but kissed her nose. "Wouldn't want to be anyone else's."

"Don't think anyone else would put up with you." Rose said cheekily, ignoring his outraged noise. She knew there were things they needed to talk about, conversations that should probably take place, but that was enough for both of them for the moment. "Now, how does one break out of a jail cell on an opposite planet?"

"Oh, it's easy. Just tell them you want to stay here forever." He squeaked when she punched him solidly in the arm. "Oi! What was that for?"

"You mean we could have already gotten out of here?"

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck, "yes?"

"The things I put up with," Rose rolled her eyes and stood up, tugging his hand, "Come on then Time Lord, let's tell them how much we love being imprisoned."

He refused to be moved. "I am glad, you know."

"About what?" 

"That you put up with me. And I am sorry."

"I know." Rose leaned forward and kissed him, reveling in the fact that this was a thing they did now. "And I forgive you. Now, allons-y Doctor!"


End file.
